On March 14, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
What Zelenskyy and Scholz talked about
Zelenskyy thanked Scholz and the German people for Ukraine's long-term comprehensive support and its fixation on the bilateral security agreement.
They further discussed political, economic, and defence cooperation.
He welcomed the approval of the draft negotiating framework by the European Commission. Ukraine has completed all four legislative steps identified by the European Commission in the Enlargement Package, which is the basis for the approval of the negotiating framework. Now, a step for the member states. The fastest reaction of the partners will demonstrate the commitment to the course for Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The leaders also discussed the development of defence cooperation between states and representatives of the defence-industrial complex and the localisation of defence production in Ukraine.
He conveyed the priority needs of Ukrainian defenders in armored vehicles, artillery and air defense. I also thank Germany for joining the Czech Republic's efforts to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine, the president said.
Zelenskyy and Scholz also exchanged views on the results of the Conference in Support of Ukraine in Paris on Feb. 26 and coordinated positions ahead of the Weimar Triangle leaders' meeting, which will take place on Friday, Mar. 15, in Berlin with the participation of Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron and Donald Tusk.
In addition, they discussed the organisation of the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine (URC-2024) in Berlin in June. He noted the participation of the representative of Germany in the preparation of the Global Peace Summit.
Olaf Scholz stated that Germany is steadfastly on the side of Ukraine, which he repeated to Zelenskyy in a telephone conversation.
We will continue to support Ukraine in close coordination with our international partners. As long as it takes, Scholz stresses.
